MUNNSVILLE, N.Y. -- The second annual Loop for Lupus charity ride rolled off Sunday morning covering a 76-mile loop throughout Madison and Oneida County, starting and ending in Munnsville.
"The theme for lupus is get in the loop, learn about lupus. And it's an orange loop, it's circular. So we thought we would do a ride that's a loop that would start and stop here at one destination,” said Kathleen Arntsen, Mid-Northern Lupus Foundation President.
The event is sponsored by the Red Knights chapter nineteen. They came up with the idea for a charity ride to support the Lupus Foundation because one of their members is affected by the disease.
"We have a member of our chapter that actually has lupus. And through her association with the Lupus Foundation itself, they came up to us and said, hey look let's do a ride,” said Ken Ernenwein, Red Knights Chapter 19 President.
Before each rider hits the road they pick up a check book. Along the way there are four stops where they can pick up a sticker that has a fact about the disease, with the final location being right here at the fire station. This gives riders a chance to not only enjoy a scenic route around central New York, but to also learn about the disease that they are in fact riding for.
"It can affect virtually any part of the body. And you have periods of remissions and flares, so sometimes people are sick and other times they are not,” said Arntsen.
Nearly one million people in America suffer from Lupus. News 10 Now's Jim Gibbons caught up with motorcyclists who were out riding to raise awareness and funds for the Lupus Foundation on Sunday.
Though there is still no known cause for Lupus, researchers continue to search for an answer and a cure. Fundraising efforts such as this charity ride can help find those solutions, and this event appears to have no end in sight.
"This will happen every year until Lupus decides, we don't want to do it anymore,” said Ernenwein.
And of course the ride ended with a good old fashioned barbeque.
For more information about Lupus you can call 315-829-4272 or you can visit nolupus.org